Road pedals for a MTBer

[slippy]

I've been doing a bit of road riding to supplement the riding in general. I started with my MTB shoes and some Ultegra level pedals that accept MTB SPD cleats (the A600's). Then saved a bit of weight by going to some road shoes and Look Keo Classic pedals. I don't mind the feel of the Looks once I'm clipped in, but I find they're less than ideal for clipping in at the lights etc., maybe I'm just so used to SPD's after 20 odd years, but I have persisted with them for a few months now.

So, I'm looking for a pedal that clips in with the ease and feel of a MTB SPD. Would a Shimano road pedal feel like my old spuds? Would trading up to a higher model Look improve things? Any other brands worth considering? I'd appreciate the advice of a MTBer who also prefers Shimano MTB pedals.

 

[scblack]

Look road pedals clip in easier than Shimano road pedals. But the carbon Look pedals are more prone to breaking. That's my experience.

I dread clipping into the Shimano Ultegra pedals at lights, sometimes it is a real pain in the arse, and embarrassing.

 

[Mafra]

For mine, I got used to riding clips on MTB SPD, so when I got around to road biking, I couldn't see the point in a single sided system - forked out the premium for speedplay.

Pros
Double sided
Float, if you have dodgy knees, they're probably going to be your friend.
Adjustability in setup/positioning, see above comment.

Cons
Expensive
The delicate parts are on the bottom of your shoe, if a lot of your riding involves frequent clip in/out, perhaps not for you, but then I commute in mine most days.
Require some preventative maintenance/lubrication every few thousand kays
Did I mention the cleats are expensive?

I find I have no problems switching from SPD on my cx/mtbs to speedplay on my roadie - same same feel but different.

Cheers

 

[mik_git]

Having also riddedn spd's for 20 or so years, when I got a road bike I jsut used spd's, my mtb shoes were pretty good (Sidi eagle 6, which is basically exactly the same as my road shoes, Sidi Genuis 6), only reason I got road pedals is they came with my latest bike. Personally I can't really tell any difference apart from that they are a pain to get back into at lights (Look Keo something).

 

[OCD'R]

Speedplay - can get a set with steel spindles for around 125, includes cleats. Get a set of keep-on covers (bike bug has them) and you'll be good for 10,000km - $150 all up for 10k of riding!

 

[creaky]

I find that if I have been using mtb spds mostly for a while then it takes a couple of rides to get used to clipping into the Spd-SL pedals again. It's just a different 'catch' point for the cleat. Similarly, I have a couple of mis-hits in the mtb pedals when I've been mostly in the road.

Make sure that you have a decent stretch trying to get used to the road pedals before you start looking for options.

 

[Jubas]

Having also riddedn spd's for 20 or so years, when I got a road bike I jsut used spd's, my mtb shoes were pretty good (Sidi eagle 6, which is basically exactly the same as my road shoes, Sidi Genuis 6), ...

I've just gone straight to mtb SPDs on my roadbike. Saved me an extra pair of shoes, easy to clip into, last forever, and haven't noticed any negatives. Some people complain of foot pain, but it's not been an issue for me

 

[creaky]

I've just gone straight to mtb SPDs on my roadbike. Saved me an extra pair of shoes, easy to clip into, last forever, and haven't noticed any negatives. Some people complain of foot pain, but it's not been an issue for me

If you have stiff soled shoes then there shouldn't be much difference in feel/flex from a smaller platform spd compared to a road pedal. Cheaper shoes you'd notice the difference.

However, I do find that the road pedals feel more stable under foot and are less prone to an inadvertent detachment.

The real question in response to the Post Topic is ... are there any crazies out there using road pedals on their MTB ???

 

[RB 24]

If you have stiff soled shoes then there shouldn't be much difference in feel/flex from a smaller platform spd compared to a road pedal. Cheaper shoes you'd notice the difference.

However, I do find that the road pedals feel more stable under foot and are less prone to an inadvertent detachment.

The real question in response to the Post Topic is ... are there any crazies out there using road pedals on their MTB ???

Yep. My son uses a set of 105 pedals on his GT dualie. He jumps and manuals like a demon. The little bugged rarely unclips and ever since I made him buy cleats he is happy to have the same shoes for mtb and road.

 

[Jubas]

If you have stiff soled shoes then there shouldn't be much difference in feel/flex from a smaller platform spd compared to a road pedal. Cheaper shoes you'd notice the difference.

Yep, nice pair of SIDIs, although plastic as opposed to carbon soles..

 

[Hamsta]

Look road pedals clip in easier than Shimano road pedals. But the carbon Look pedals are more prone to breaking. That's my experience.

I dread clipping into the Shimano Ultegra pedals at lights, sometimes it is a real pain in the arse, and embarrassing.

I hear you. I have played around with the pedal tension but it always takes some time for me to clip in. I have had a couple of semi-scary moments in traffic.

 

[The Duckmeister]

Shimano do a "Light Action" version of at least one of their road pedals, which has a considerably lighter spring than the standard models. Could be worth a thought.

 

[sydmtbrider]

I've used Shimano SPDs long term as well as Look Keos and Shimano Dura Ace for the road. Dura Ace are definitely tougher to engage than Keos. For me, Look Keo Classics 'felt' less precise than more expensive Keo models, even though Classics had a lower tension.

 

[mik_git]

the thing that I find, and is annoying coming from spds, is that I actually clip into the look pedals fine...when they are in the right spot, but taking off from lights, the number of times I can get the pedal the right way up... about 5%

 

[slippy]

Well I'm convinced. I'll stick with my Looks and put up with it. Cheers.

 

[Trigstan]

I use Shimano XT pedals off road and love them. On the road I’ve used Shimano Ultegra pedals (really liked them) and Look Keo Max II’s, and now I’m on speedplays. Speedplays are awesome and by far the easiest to clip into given that they’re double sided. That said I found Shimano okay to clip into and hated the looks